A sprawling, well-acted coming-of-age story/family drama that marks a welcome comeback for the Merchant-Ivory team that hit a rut with Jefferson in Paris and Surviving Picasso. Helen Hunt look-alike Leelee Sobieski plays Charlotte Anne “Channe” Willis, a young American girl living in the shadow of a famous father (Kristofferson). When the family moves to Manhattan from Paris, she finds that though she lived a fairly Yankee-style life in France, she can't assimilate to American culture. She uses her sexuality to gain acceptance. Costano dazzles as Chane's musical prodigy friend, though he's underused. Sobieski establishes herself as an up-and-coming star.